Cartoon, animation festival in east China's Hangzhou presents Chinese IPs, technologies

The 21st China International Cartoon and Animation Festival (CICAF) opened on Thursday in Hangzhou City of east China's Zhejiang Province, launching a five-day celebration featuring top Chinese cultural IPs and the fusion of animation and technology.

The CICAF, now in its 21st year, has become one of the country's largest and most influential animation showcases, attracting over 18 million visitors and 21,000 companies from around the world to date.

With lifelike displays, themed cosplays, collectibles of big-hit Chinese-designed characters, and cutting-edge exhibits, such as AI-generated animation, VR, and exoskeleton robots, this year's edition offers global participants unique and immersive experiences, and also presents China's soft power.

"Many global IPs need coordination on my part. I try to consider their brand identities, and aim to match today's youth culture with simple, chibi-style designs. When young people buy clothing from brands I partnered with, they will get a blind box, so they can have fun drawing by themselves," said Winson Ma, an art toy designer from Hong Kong, whose workshop Winson Classic Creation has already garnered a world reputation.

The 2025 CICAF has also set up a special "tech zone" for visitors to experience AI, VR, and AR equipment, which helps to bring their most-loved stories to life.

In the AR combat arena, participants can experience an immersive 3D scene with only a pair of glasses. The AR game, based on the Chinese classic Creation of Gods, provides gamers a chance to be a part of the old mythology and fight their own battles.

The zone also involves a stall showcasing AI technology, where people can learn about the latest AI-power CG animation and generate animated characters of themselves with AI.

"Previously, producing a 30-second CG animation might take a team of seven people and an entire month. Now, with our AI-driven workflows, just three people can complete it in two weeks. Over the past year, AI-generated characters and storyline coherences have seen dramatic improvements. Viewers now have more choices and are showing a high level of acceptance," said Sun Jian, president of Nashi Culture.

Cartoon, animation festival in east China's Hangzhou presents Chinese IPs, technologies

The Bayannur section of the Yellow River in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region became fully frozen as of 07:00 Sunday, officially entering its stable winter ice period.

Freezing of the river commenced on December 4, 2025, but repeated thawing and refreezing driven by temperature fluctuations and higher water flow postponed a full, stable freeze-over. The entire process lasted 48 days, 29 days longer than the previous year, making it the longest freezing period for this section in recent years.

In response to the extended and volatile freezing process, local authorities in Bayannur City and districts along the river have intensified their ice-jam prevention efforts. Officials have been conducting thorough inspections to identify and manage any potential obstacles within the river channel that could contribute to dangerous ice dams.

To ensure safety and stability during the frozen season, a 24-hour monitoring and patrol system has been implemented along the riverbanks to watch for any signs of ice-related hazards.

Inner Mongolia section of Yellow River enters stable ice period after 48 days